Alabama tried, and failed, to clinch its spot in the SEC championship game Saturday evening. Georgia, on the other hand, did the exact opposite, although failure against the 2012 Auburn Tigers is not an option.
Literally.
Be that as it may, the No. 5 Bulldogs became the first SEC team to punch its early-December ticket to Atlanta, eviscerating the Tigers 38-0 and staking its claim to a second consecutive SEC East title.
Once the game commenced, and as it was prior to kickoff, clinching was never in doubt. UGA jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead on the home-standing Tigers, nearly tripling up the woeful AU offense 300-107 after two quarters.
From there it was merely a matter of watching the seconds tick off the clock... and keeping everyone healthy.
With the win, UGA can begin early preparations in earnest for their SEC title game matchup with Alabama. Yes, the Tide went down in flames for the first time this season, but UA has done everything but mathematically clinch the SEC West.
All that’s standing between Alabama and an official clinching of the West is a win over Auburn (chuckle) in the regular-season finale. If on the off-chance the Mayans were correct and by extension AU drops UA in the Iron Bowl (ROTFLMMFAO), there would still be the possibility of a three-way tie between ‘Bama, LSU and Texas A&M if the latter two teams win out and... ah, who the hell am I kidding.
The Tide’s clinched and will face the Bulldogs Dec. 1 in the Georgia Dome, a conference title tilt that could, depending on how Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame fare the remainder of the season, still serve as a play-in for the BcS championship game.